Marine Sciences

The Marine Sciences Core Technology Platform provides the necessary tools to allow researchers to use the Arabian Gulf as a natural laboratory. Among the many research activities, scientists at NYUAD are seeking to examine how coral communities in these extreme environments respond to and recover from mass bleaching events and how variation in environmental conditions affect biogeographic patterns of community structure of corals, fish, and other reef biota in the region.

Another group of scientists are monitoring and collecting samples from coral colonies around the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to understand coral disease. They are also collecting net plankton samples for isolation of marine phytoplankton from the Arabian Gulf and exploring mangrove sediments in order to isolate novel marine bacteria with potential for biomedical drugs.

The Marine Sciences facility is equipped with the latest technology and tools to conduct research in this field.

Equipment List 

  • Research Vessels
    • Thuraya - Ribcraft 8m
    • NYUAD - Arabiancraft 10m
  • Water Quality Sampling and Monitoring
    • YSI PRO DSS - Handheld Multimeter with 4 port bulkheads
    • YSI Exo2 Sonde - 8 units
  • Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
    • Teledyne Sentinel V ADCP
  • SCUBA Gear (limited sizes available)
    • Regulators
    • BCDs
    • Fins
    • Masks
    • Wetsuits 3/5mm
    • Boots
  • Breathing Air Compressor - Bauer Mini Verticus II
    •    24 x S80 capacity dive cylinders available
  • Vehicle 
    •  Dodge Ram 
    • GMC Truck